


Standing on the Outside, Looking In

by Valkyri (kisikil)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/F, hs / college au?, there's also kaede/shuichi but its not as prominent, you pick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 04:30:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13206009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kisikil/pseuds/Valkyri
Summary: Maki and Himiko aren't exactly having the time of their lives hanging out with their friends, especially since an unwelcome Kokichi has been invited... They can't help but notice a lonely Tsumugi not far off, though.





	Standing on the Outside, Looking In

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ikuzonos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ikuzonos/gifts).



> this was a secret santa over at ndrv3winterexchange on tumblr!! for ikuzonos!! 
> 
> alternative title: gee, maki! why does your orphanage let you have TWO girlfriends?

**** “Kaede! Watch out!” Kokichi shouted at the pianist across the table. Before Kaede could react, Kokichi blew the paper covering his straw off, aiming it straight towards Kaede’s cleavage. Unfortunate for the blonde to wear a deeper v-neck blouse than usual, for the paper went straight into it, protruding like a stick between two very prominent sand dunes. “Oh no, it’s too late! I guess Shumai’s gonna have to take that out, eh? Nishishi~”

“K-Kokichi!” Kaede stuttered, her face heating up to unhealthily high degrees. Despite her furrowed brow and angry tone of voice, a small chuckle couldn’t help but escape from her throat as she plucked the straw wrapper from her shirt. Her voice could barely be heard above Kaito’s raging laughter, though, and her red face could hardly match Shuichi’s, the heat of embarrassment nearly seen emanating off of him. Between Shuichi and Kaede sat Kiibo, who served as a buffer between the two (so Shuichi wasn’t always a bumbling mess, since that’s what he turned into whenever he and Kaede were within five feet of each other), and Kiibo was frantically trying to right the situation by telling Kokichi how rude it was to invade Kaede’s personal space in such a crude way! Kokichi ignored Kiibo and set up another straw for another shot.

There was one corner of the table that was completely silent through all this tomfoolery. One half was Maki Harukawa, who was seething at the mere sight of Kokichi, her arms crossed and her expression so firm that her red eyes seemed to glow with annoyance. The other half was Himiko Yumeno, whose eyes were droopy and posture non-existent as her chin pressed against the table while a chicken strip dangled from her pouty mouth. They watched as Kokichi launched another straw wrapper into Kaede’s cleavage while Kaito laughed his ass off, Kiibo desperately tried to fix the situation, and Shuichi shriveled into his own mortified cocoon.  _ How annoying _ , Maki kept thinking to herself. Things were usually silly in this group, but not nearly to this degree. Not to a degree that made Maki want to rip both of her pigtails out. And there was one reason for that:

Kokichi.

For some reason - for some honest-to-God, unearthly,  _ idiotic _ reason - Kaito thought it would be a  _ brilliant _ idea to take Kokichi out with their friend group for lunch. Maki wasn’t looking forward to the outing, anyway; it wasn’t as though she didn’t like these people (Kaede could be overwhelming, but she was alright; Kiibo and Shuichi both were close friends of hers; Himiko, she could consider, was her “best friend” though she’d never admit it), it was simply the fact that Maki wasn’t a huge fan of big group outings. And Kaito knows this. So what does he do?

_ Invite her mortal enemy to tag along. _

It’s not like she could fight back against this, though. She wasn’t any sort of leader of the group, so she didn’t feel as though it were her place to ban one person or another from joining them. She also had no real will over Kaito nor who he was friends with, so who was she to say who he was allowed to bring along with them, especially if most of the group seemed okay with it? She didn’t even know  _ when _ Kokichi and Kaito became friends, but now that they were, it was infuriating. 

(It didn’t help that her and Kaito were in that strange post-break-up phase - the one where it didn’t end badly and ceased on the mutual agreement that it wasn’t working out, so they didn’t hate each other...but they knew they could never really be the same again, so they didn’t know how to act around each other anymore. They were friends, but with very distinct borders dividing them.)

Maki knew Himiko didn’t enjoy this either, what with Kokichi’s constant bullying. And now she had to deal with him  _ within their own group of friends? _ Maki made sure to threaten Kokichi’s life if he even so much glanced at Himiko, but that didn’t stop the little gremlin from cracking a joke or two at the small girl’s way, making the redhead retreat back into herself. Himiko was doing pretty good too with engaging herself in conversations, but with Kokichi around, she went back to her languidly detached self.

And so, Maki and Himiko sunk into their corner besides Shuichi and waited for this little get-together to end. 

...That was, until Himiko suddenly stood up, making Maki jump in her seat at the girl’s sudden movement. “I’m gonna go to the restroom…” Himiko muttered, and Maki took this as her chance at escape. Maki stood up just as fast, clearing her throat before speaking.

“I need to as well,” Maki said.

Kokichi chuckled. “Kaede, Kaede! Go with them! Tell me if Himiko finally confesses her love for me during a secret girl’s disclosure in the stalls!” 

“I do  _ not _ like you! At all!” Himiko shouted, then paused for a moment, her mind racing for the perfect comeback. “Stinky!”

“Nishishi~!”

“Kokichi, stop picking on Himiko…” Shuichi muttered as he inched over in his chair so Maki had an easier time standing up.

“Shumai, do you want to confess to me instead? I wouldn’t mind that one bit!” Kokichi said. “Aw, but that means I’d have to fight Kaede in a lover’s duel to the death… Challenge accepted!”

“It’s hardly a challenge if there’s no competition, Kokichi!” Kaede replied before chuckling. Kaito pounded his fist against the table and choked from his laughter. Shuichi nearly died on sight.

“Wow, Kaede! What a good burn! Good job!” Kiibo said, clapping his hands with a proud Kaede next to him. Before Kokichi could retort though, Maki and Himiko finally managed to slip away from the chaos.

The restaurant was a small diner that was rarely packed, so Maki and Himiko’s walk to the restroom was quaint and quiet. Their minds seemed to connect in some way, for both walked at the same snail-paced speed, their feet slowly swinging in front of each other, and neither had turned to the other to get this idea of prolonging as much time as they could to stay away from the table and, in that sense, Kokichi. Maybe he would get tired of leaving and go away, Maki thought. Himiko knew she thought the same, for it was a more naive way of thinking: they both knew very well that Kokichi would stay as long as he needed if that meant ruining their lives with his very existence. 

Walking through an entryway, they finally came into view of the restroom. But, that wasn’t the only thing that caught their eyes - there was also a familiar blue-haired girl that was sitting in the booths right next to them, her back towards the restroom doors. Her nose was in her phone, which she held in both hands as she tapped away on it with her thumbs with great intensity. Maki found it a bit weird to see her by herself in a public place like this, but before Maki could say anything, Himiko nudged her with her shoulder and nodded her head towards the girl.

“Nyeh… I wonder what Mugi’s doing here…” Himiko drawled. Maki didn’t answer her, so Himiko continued to speak. “Wanna go see?”

Maki wasn’t much of one to go out of her way to approach someone -  _ she _ was the one people approached, and it was her responsibility to pretend she didn’t see said people until she was cornered. But, there was something about seeing Tsumugi sitting there alone that made her gravitate towards the cosplayer… So she said, “Sure.”

The two of them walked over to the lonely girl, who’s attention was still fully on her phone. Maki couldn’t clearly see what she was so intent on due to a glare, but she could see nine separate circles across the edges of the screen, Tsumugi’s thumbs tapping at them with incredible speeds.

“Tsumugi,” Maki said. Tsumugi didn’t respond. “Tsumugi?”

“Shhhh…” Himiko pressed her finger against her lips. “She’s playing an idol tap tap game.”

“An idol...tap...tap…?” Maki’s voice trailed off mid-question. There was always something new to learn in the nerd world, especially hanging around these two. “Alright. Whatever.” About a minute passed with Maki standing over the table and Himiko leaning over the booth next to Tsumugi’s head, almost breathing down her neck. Tsumugi didn’t budge once until Maki saw her phone flicker to a different screen and the cosplayer let out a long exhale.  _ Did she not breathe that entire time…? _ Maki thought as Tsumugi looked up at her.

“Oh! Maki! Hello!” Tsumugi said before realizing there was warm air on her cheek. She turned her head to see Himiko. “And Mage Himiko! Hello! When did you two get here?”

“We’ve been here for a couple of minutes now,” Maki said.

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“Wow! I didn’t even notice,” Tsumugi said. Maki probably would’ve been annoyed if Tsumugi’s smile wasn’t so bright and beaming at the mere sight of the child caregiver. “What are you two doing here? Are you both out to eat? Doing girl things?”

“We’re here with the other guys,” Himiko said, sticking her lip out. “Kaito, Shuichi, Kaede, Kiibo, and…” She trailed off and pouted.

“Kokichi,” Maki said, finishing Himiko’s sentence for her. Tsumugi raised an eyebrow.

“Kokichi? Don’t you two hate him-?”

“ _ Yes, _ ” Maki and Himiko simultaneously said, not allowing a single pause after Tsumugi’s question. Tsumugi giggled, her phone still tightly gripped in one hand.

“I see… It’s one of  _ those _ situations, eh?” Tsumugi said.

“I don’t know what you mean by that, but sure.” Maki said, pressing her hands against the table and leaning forward. “Why are you here?”

“Eh? O-Oh, um…” Tsumugi stuttered, making Maki raise an eyebrow herself. Tsumugi cleared her throat. “Ah, well, I’m waiting for the anime club to come! We were going to, um, do friend things and such…”

“I thought the anime club was filled with a bunch of degenerates that didn’t understand the complex history and culture behind anime and manga?” Himiko said, squishing her cheeks with her hands as she spoke without taking a single breath.

“Aha, I did say that, didn’t I…” Tsumugi said. “Verbatim, too… G-Good job remembering, Mage Himiko! Aha…” Tsumugi adjusted the collar of her shirt. “Well, I, um, I decided I was being too...harsh! And I wanted to try to associate with them… I-I thought, maybe, just maybe, they could teach me something! Or...something. Aha…”

Maki noted just how weird Tsumugi was being. She’s never come across this nervous before, at least in front of her and Himiko. Possibly, Maki considered, she was nervous about meeting the members of this club and going out with them? It wasn’t her place to pry though, so she left Tsumugi’s curious actions at that.

The two made idle chit-chat with Tsumugi for a little longer...possibly longer than it would take for someone to go to the restroom, even if it were two girls together possibly gossiping about rumors and their friends and whatnot. Maki didn’t realize they lost track of time (and that she found herself sitting in the seat across from Tsumugi) when the waitress meandered up to their table and asked what the three wanted to drink. Much to Himiko’s pouting and sulking at the prospect of leaving their cosplayer friend, who was midst in a rant about some video game her and Himiko enjoyed playing together, Maki beckoned her and Himiko back to their original, boring, annoying,  _ aggravatingly Kokichi _ table. The two waved Tsumugi bye, the cosplayer waving back before unsurprisingly digging her nose back into her phone. 

When Maki and Himiko finally returned, there was no doubt comments to be made. “Eh, what took you two so long~?” Kokichi asked in a baby voice, a sound that made Maki’s teeth grind more than any other. “Don’t tell me you two got caught up in some gossip?! Oh, tell me!”

“In your dreams,” Maki spat before plopping herself down next to Shuichi.

“Well,  _ I _ have some gossip! Do you want to hear, Maki-chan?”

“No. Don’t call me that.”

“I heard… Wait a sec… Ooooooone more…”

“ _ Stop it. _ ”

“I heard Kiibo programmed his little toy race car doo-hickey to spy on the girls when they’re using the restroom!”

“Th-That is  _ not _ true!” Kiibo shouted, his face turning beet red as he stuttered. “Please do not spread such false rumors like that!” Kokichi laughed, Kaito laughed, everyone  _ laughed _ except for Maki and Himiko. 

Lunch continued on just as Maki expected it to go with Kokichi. Himiko had completely tuned out of the conversations altogether, gnawing on her chicken nuggets like a puppy with a chew toy while she stared off into space or sent cryptic messages to the group chat she, Maki, and Shuichi were in (“What is this, Himiko?” “What do you mean ‘what is this’, Shuichi?! It’s a funyarinpa! Apologize to the funyarinpa!” “I have no clue what you’re talking about!”). All the while, over Kokichi’s irritating laughter and the annoying prattle of his and Kaito’s shenanigans, there was something that was itching the very back of Maki’s head…

She kept one eye to her friends but another to the front door of the restaurant, waiting for some weirdos dressed up as anime characters or carrying shrines of android singers to eventually arrive. However, they never did. Maki excused herself several times from the table, using various reasons like finding the waiter or going to the bar...but, in reality, she was walking to the same place: the other side of the restaurant where Tsumugi sat alone. Each time Maki checked on her, Tsumugi was still alone, her nose in her phone, the only thing changing was the fact she eventually had a juicy hamburger sitting in front of her...which stayed untouched for nearly half an hour. Half an hour…

Where were those anime club people Tsumugi said she was meeting?

Maki decided to spend one rendezvous scoping out the area...and by scoping out, she hid under the table two booths away from Tsumugi. She watched the cosplayers expression and the archway, waiting for Tsumugi’s friends to eventually arrive. Alas, no one walked through that archway other than some families and a few couples. And with every passing minute, Tsumugi’s face seemed to droop more, her attention to her tap tap game growing increasingly less enthusiastic. There was even a point where Tsumugi stopped  _ in the middle of a song _ and set her phone down to pick up a lone fry and trace it around the edge of the plate, her burger no doubt cold by that time. 

Maki wondered what her next course of action should be. She could continue to lurk here, waiting for Tsumugi’s club friends for arrive and making sure that Tsumugi didn’t leave this restaurant alone (though, what would Maki do in that case? She wasn’t really sure herself). She could go... _ talk _ ...to Tsumugi, but Maki didn’t know what she would... _ say _ . Talking wasn’t particularly her strong suit; she preferred staying back and watching from afar, seeing how things played out before taking action herself. But, maybe she needed to be the initiator now. Maybe someone reaching out to Tsumugi was what she needed while her friends were so late…

…

Though...a part of Maki wondered just how “late” these friends were going to be.

Maki didn’t know how to initiate a conversation with the lonely cosplayer under these circumstances anyway. What was she going to do, invite Tsumugi to hang out with her friends? With  _ Kokichi? _ She wouldn’t invite her worst enemy to come hang out with Kokichi, and her worst enemy was Kokichi. Maybe she could ditch the group to hang out with Tsumugi, at least until her friends arrived? But then there was Himiko, who she couldn’t leave by herself within literally fiery hell. And to attract too much attention by inviting Himiko over might lead to everyone dogpiling on Tsumugi…

Maybe, for awhile at least, the best course of action was for Maki to keep her eye out for the anime weirdos. Maki knew she had spent too much time away from the group anyway; no doubt they were wondering where she was and Kokichi was going to bombard her with irritating questions when she returned. Besides, if Maki caught wiff of the anime kids from the front door first, she could send a little surprise text to Tsumugi. So, Maki decided to make her exit, slipping from under the booth table and back to her group unnoticed like an assassin in the shadows…

...That is, that’s what she would have liked to do if she didn’t trip over her own foot and stumbled out from under the table.

“Maki?” Maki heard Tsumugi call out as her face was pressed firmly against the disgusting tile floor.  _ Shit. Damn it. God fucking damn it, why? Why? Why? Why does she have to see me like this? _ Maki hauled herself up onto her knees while Tsumugi stood up from her booth seat. “Are you okay?!”

Maki thought about every little thing she could do in this moment. She could admit exactly what she was doing - spying on Tsumugi from under the table, waiting for something to happen. She could dart off without another word, puzzling the cosplayer.

Or she could play the cosplayer’s game.

She covered her face with both hands and bent her knees in a dramatic way, leaving the cosplayer to gawk at her. “I...cannot be seen,” Maki said, her voice changing tunes to something more...ridiculous. There was nothing about this but ridiculous.  _ Why was I doing this? _ Maki thought, but that didn’t stop her. She held one hand out to the cosplayer, her palm staring straight into Tsumugi’s face. “My presence...is not here! You cannot sense me, for my physical body is transparent in this form!”

_ What the fuck, Maki? _

But, Tsumugi didn’t seem weirded out. In fact, she giggled and put her own hand in front of her face. “Ah, I see…” Tsumugi said, her voice lowering a few octaves herself. “I understand! You, Maki…are practicing your invisibility ninjutsu! I’m your first subject when it comes to testing it!”

_...Sure, _ Maki thought. 

“I must say, your technique requires some work, but…” Tsumugi muttered, then dramatically swung her hand up and pointed at Maki’s face. The tip of her finger was nearly touching her nose, making Maki’s face flush. “You’re doing a wonderful job! I commend you - 4 stars!”

_ Four stars from what? _ Maki wondered, but let it go. Tsumugi was smiling, and her tired eyes seemed to fade, and that’s what mattered in the end. Maki performed various hand gestures before rolling - she  _ rolled _ on the  _ dirty floor _ \- to the archway, standing and taking her exit as she heard Tsumugi giggling and clapping from her booth. However, Maki ducked behind the archway for a moment, watching Tsumugi sit back down and watching her smile fade as she slouched in her seat. Maki pressed her lips together, but returned to her group.

Before Maki could plop herself fully between Shuichi and Himiko, however, a comment from the devil himself raked at her ear drums.

“Maki-chan~! What took you so long?” Kokichi squeaked. “I missed you!”

“Shut up,” Maki sneered, crossing her arms. She had no time for Kokichi’s childish little games. 

...Though, she was acting a bit childish herself earlier, wasn’t she? Maki wondered what came over her, why she decided to act so...so... _immature_. There was something about Tsumugi’s frown, the way her eyes seemed so dry and tired, the way her shoulders sagged… Maki felt like she had to do _something_ to see the usual Tsumugi back, the smiling, full-of-energy Tsumugi that she was used to. _I guess_ , she thought, _acting like one of her anime characters helped._ It wasn’t the most terrible thing Maki’s ever done, admittedly. At least no one else saw…

“Oh!” a voice said, snapping Maki back to reality. She looked up to see the waitress checking on the group. “You’re the chuunibyou girl!”

“Eh?”

“Nyeh?”

“Maki?”

Maki felt her face heat up, and she bashed her head against the table.

Time passed - why was this group so adamant about sitting and talking about the same three subjects over and over? - and Maki never saw the anime club kids walk in. She exchanged texts with Himiko, both her and the self-proclaimed mage on watch for the front door. Himiko now took up “spying on Tsumugi” duty since Kaede was now concerned about Maki’s continuous absence, wondering if the babysitter was ill. Each time Himiko returned, she gave the same report: Tsumugi was still alone. She asked Shuichi to keep watch too, but his eyes were so glued to Kaede that Maki knew he was hopeless. 

Maki considered sitting with Tsumugi once more. Whatever was taking that anime club so long to arrive was no excuse - this was  _ way _ too long to leave one person hanging! She ran several different ways to start a conversation with Tsumugi in her head… How do you tell someone you’re sitting with them because they seemed lonely?  _ Hey, I think your friends ditched you, so I’m going to sit with you now.  _ She didn’t want Tsumugi to think the only reason she was hanging out with her was because she felt sorry for her either…

“Maki?” Kaede asked, snapping Maki out of her trance. It was only now that she realized Kokichi stole Shuichi’s hat and was imitating him, preaching on about how beautiful Kaede was or something. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Ah, yeah…” Maki said. She pursed her lips. “Have you...by chance seen some anime weirdos walk in at all?’

“Huh?” Kaede replied, then pressed a finger against her chin. “Hm, no, I don’t think-?”

“Ooooh~?” Kokichi cut into Kaede’s words, grinding Maki’s gears. “Are you waiting for some friends, Maki-chan? Anime friends, too!”

“I didn’t think you were into anime!” Kaito interjected. Now the entire group was talking about it.  _ Great… Good going, Maki _ . “First the waitress calls ya a chuunibyou and now you got a group of anime friends! You’ve been hanging out with Tsumugi lately, haven’t ya, Harumaki-?”

Silence.

“Ah, erm… I mean… M-Maki.”

Kaito’s correction didn’t ease the tension. For the first time since the seven of them arrived, the table was quiet, awkward, uneasy. Kaede, Kiibo, and Shuichi poked at their food, Kaito scratched the back of his head with his eyes glued to the salt shakers, and Kokichi even sipped his drink without making any annoying sounds. Himiko only gazed up as Maki, who had her lips pursed and her entire body stiff.

It didn’t bother her. It didn’t bother her, she’d like to think. But it did. Something about that nickname now - Harumaki - which before meant something sweet, filled her with nothing more than disgust when she heard it. She felt like something came burrowing out from the ground, something slimy with a grotesque smell that latched itself onto her, rubbing its oozing flesh all over her skin. She shivered. She felt sick. She felt  _ gross. _

Maybe things weren’t as neutral as she thought. Did she ever really think they were neutral, truly?

She felt something wrap around her hand. She looked down to see that Himiko had reached out and held it, despite her eyes now downcast and off of Maki. For some reason, that made the gross ooze of Harumaki disappear.

“Wh…” Shuichi started to say before he cleared his throat. “Why don’t we...go somewhere else?”

With that, the seven of them stood from the table in an awkward silence. Shuichi offered to pay the bill in full, most likely to ease the tension emanating from the group. It didn’t seem the dissipate any though, and the pressure preserved on the way out the door. Himiko didn’t let go of Maki’s hand. Maki didn’t see the anime club.

Once the group was outside, they kicked at the dirt and averting their eyes from each other...or, really, Kaito averted his eyes from Maki. The others were mumbling to themselves; Maki could catch that they were trying to figure out what to do next. But, what  _ could _ you do next after what just happened? It’s not like it could go away - it would remain, lingering above everyone’s heads and casting a constant shadow until everyone went home. Maki didn’t want to ruin everyone’s day with that shadow.

“I’m going home,” Maki announced. Everyone’s eyes shot to her. “You can all do something without me.”

“Maki…” Kaede said.

“A-Are you sure?” Shuichi said.

“Yeah,” Maki muttered. “I’m not really feeling good. Like you figured, Kaede. Ha.” Her laugh came out strained, and she wasn’t sure if she was convincing any of them. She didn’t care much at that point. She really wasn’t feeling good at that point, anyway…

Her eyes flickered to Kaito, whose eyes were on the sidewalk.

“I’ll go with Maki,” was the next announcement, now coming from Himiko. She tightened her grip on Maki’s hand.

There was a small stretch of silence until Kokichi pouted his lip and said, “Awww, but Himiko! You don’t gotta go with Maki, don’t y-” Kiibo grabbed Kokichi’s shoulder and whispered something in his ear, in which Kokichi pouted. “...Awighty….I’ll be good for now…”

The two stood hand-in-hand, watching the five leave the restaurant and walk towards who-knew where else. The group was quiet at first, but Kokichi eventually cracked a joke and the others laughed along. Shuichi looked back at his two friends, and they waved at him. He waved back before catching up with Kaede and Kiibo.

Maki and Himiko were planted in that one spot in front of the restaurant doors for a long while before Himiko finally asked Maki, “Are you okay, Maki?”

Maki didn’t reply. She didn’t reply with an answer to that question, at least. “Did you see the anime club walk in by chance?” was what Maki said in response.

Himiko pouted her lip out. “No,” she answered. “Do you think they’re ever coming?”

Maki didn’t have an answer to that question. She watched the five, now a tiny dot in the distance, continue to walk away. They were already laughing and talking and slapping each other on the back, void of what just happened. No doubt it still lay on their minds, but without one of the sources of the anxiety there, they didn’t have to keep their silliness at bay for the sake of the atmosphere. They could go back to being their usual selves.

They could go back to being themselves without Maki…

They could get along without Maki…

They didn’t need Maki… They didn’t need Maki…

Is that how she feels right now?

“Let’s go check on her,” Maki said. Himiko didn’t blink; all she did was smile as the two turned on their heels and headed back into the restaurant. They marched across the building, walked under the archway, and found exactly who they were looking for, still by her lonesome in her lonesome booth. Almost everyone who was in that section of the restaurant had left, so she truly was isolated, alone. Abandoned.

Maki and Himiko slipped into the seats in front of her. Tsumugi perked her head up from her phone; she was playing a game, but it looked like some kind of strategy gacha game rather than the tap tap one she had been playing so furiously.

“Maki? And Himiko?” Tsumugi said, cocking her head to the side. “What are you two doing here?”

“We’re here to-” Maki started to say, both something got caught in her throat. She coughed. “W-We’re here to-”  _ Why am I stuttering?  _ she thought, adjusting her collar.

“We’re here to hang out,” Himiko said for Maki. “It was Maki’s idea.”

Maki’s face turned red. “I-It was not!” Maki barked. “I just thought- Kokichi’s annoying, a-and Kaede and Shuichi are always giving each other  _ those _ looks, a-and I-”

“Don’t be a tsundere, Maki…”

“I-I don’t even know what that means!”

Tsumugi looked between the two girls as they bickered in front of her...or, really, Himiko stated the obvious while Maki tried to be more disposed about it. She was expressionless at first, confused on why they were even there, before she started giggling.

“You two are so funny!” Tsumugi chuckled, holding one hand over her mouth. Maki puffed out her cheeks, her face still warm. “But, really… Why are you two here? I’m sure Kaede and all of them are a lot more interesting…”

Himiko and Maki glanced between each other. Himiko nodded at Maki, giving her the cue to tell the truth instead of jumping around it in a “very tsundere way”. Maki sighed. “We...noticed your friends never arrived,” Maki finally admitted. “Are they...late?”

Tsumugi froze. Her smile maintained its shape, but her eyes told another story as they started to get watery. The cosplayer picked at her fingernails, the paint of various anime references haphazardly peeled off of them. Her voice cracked when she said, “I-I’m sure they’re just late.”

“Tsumugi… Mugi.” Tsumugi stared at Maki, shock overcoming her at the fact that Maki called her by that nickname. “Did they stand you up?”

Tsumugi was silent for a long while. Neither Maki nor Himiko spoke, giving Tsumugi enough time to collect her thoughts and find her words...if she ever wanted to reply. But, she did, and when she choked out her first syllable, a tear rolled down her cheek. “I-I looked on...o-on Phacemook a-and...I saw that they...th-they all...went to the convention without me…” She sniffed as she wiped a tear from her eye. “I don’t… I don’t know what I did, or m-maybe they forgot, but… And I… And I…” She sniffed once more, so drastic that she choked out a little sob. “I figured I...I-I would just stay here a-and enjoy my own company… I’m used to doing that, anyway…” She took off her glasses and pressed both palms of her hands against her eyes. “But… I’m not… I-I’m not having much fun…which is weird, haha…” 

Maki and Himiko watched as Tsumugi cried. She never fully broke down though, for when the cosplayer heard herself sobbing, she sniffed one last time before dabbing her tears with a napkin on the table. Her face was red and puffy, her eyes starting to get bloodshot, but she still tried to smile. She looked different without her glasses - she looked more vulnerable.

“Ah, I shouldn’t trouble you two with my...p-problems…” Tsumugi muttered. “I’m sure you have lots of friends to get back to!”

Maki closed her eyes.

“No, we don’t, actually,” Maki said, puzzling Tsumugi. “The only friend we need to be with is you.”

“Uh-huh,” Himiko agreed, nodding her head. “Kokichi is smelly, anyway.”

“Very smelly.”

“And you smell very good!”

“Very good.”

“And Maki thinks you’re cute.”

“Yes, I-  _ Wait a minute,” _ Maki choked on her own spit and glared at Himiko, who gave her a mischievous, youthful grin. Tsumugi stared at the two girls, her mouth completely agape. Himiko smirked with her lip still pouted and Maki gave her the kindest smile she could manage, which she figured looked like she was straining (smiling wasn’t her strong suit, but she’d try for now).

Tsumugi laughed, her smile big, toothy, and genuine.

“You two…” Tsumugi muttered. “You two are wonderful! I can feel our social links going up in this very moment! I wonder what level we three are at… Or maybe this is plot progression?” Tsumugi was talking about something that Maki had zero clue about, but the smile on her face was all she needed to understand that Tsumugi appreciated their sentiment. Maki picked up Tsumugi’s glasses and put them back on her face, making Tsumugi, surprisingly, stop mid-sentence and blush.

“Come on,” Maki said. “Let’s get out of this joint, the three of us.”


End file.
